As the third day of the trial wore away, the dense crowd in the
court-room became acquainted with the sensation of having been unjustly
defrauded of the customary public peruisite; because the monotonous
proceedings were entirely devoid of the spirited verbal duels, the
microscopic hair splitting, the biting sarcasms of opposing counsel,
the brow-beating of witnesses, the tenacious wrangling over invisible
legal points, which usually vary and spice the routine and stimulate
the interest of curious spectators. When a spiritless fox disdains to
double, and stands waiting for the hounds, who have only to rend it,
hunters feel cheated, and deem it no chase.
To the impatient spectators, it appeared a very tame, one-sided, and
anomalous trial, where like a slow stream the evidences of guilt oozed,
and settled about the prisoner, who challenged the credibility of no
witness, and waived all the privileges of cross-examination. Now and
then, the audience criticised in whispers the "undue latitude" allowed
by the Judge, to the District Solicitor; but their "exceptions" were
informal, and the prosecution received no serious or important rebuff.
Was the accused utterly callous, or paralyzed by consciousness of her
crime; or biding her time for a dramatic outburst of vindicating
testimony? To her sensitive nature, the ordeal of sitting day after day
to be stared at by a curious and prejudiced public, was more torturing
than the pangs of Marsyas; and she wondered whether a courageous Roman
captive who was shorn of his eyelids, and set under the blistering sun
of Africa, suffered any more keenly; but motionless, apparently
impassive as a stone mask, on whose features pitiless storms beat in
vain, she bore without wincing the agony of her humiliation. Very white
and still, she sat hour by hour with downcast eyes, and folded hands;
and those who watched most closely could detect only one change of
position; now and then she raised her clasped hands, and rested her
lips a moment on the locked fingers, then dropped them wearily on her
lap.
Even when a juryman asked two searching questions of a witness, she
showed no sign of perturbation, and avoided meeting the eyes in the
jury-box, as though they belonged to basilisks. Was it only three days
since the beginning of this excruciating martyrdom of soul; and how
much longer could she endure silently, and keep her reason?
At times, Sister Serena's hand forsook the knitting, to lay a soft,
caressing touch of encouragement and sympathy on the girl's shoulder;
and Dyce's burning indignation vented itself in frequent audible
grating of her strong white teeth. So passed Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, in the examination of witnesses who recapitulated all that
had been elicited at the preliminary investigation; and each nook and
cranny of recollection in the mind of Anthony Burk, the station agent;
of Belshazzer Tatem, the lame gardener; of lean and acrid Miss
Angeline, the seamstress, was illuminated by the lurid light of Mr.
Churchill's adroit interrogation. Thus far, the prosecution had been
conducted by the District Solicitor, with the occasional assistance of
Mr. Wolverton, who, in conjunction with Mr. Dunbar, had appeared as
representative of the Darrington estate, and its legal heir, Prince;
and when court adjourned on Wednesday, the belief was generally
entertained that no defence was possible; and that at the last moment,
the prisoner would confess her crime, and appeal to the mercy of the
jury. As the deputy sheriff led his prisoner toward the rear entrance,
where stood the dismal funereal black wagon in which she was brought
from prison to court, Judge Dent came quickly to meet her.
"My niece, Miss Gordon, could not, of course, come into the court-room,
but she is here in the library, with her aunt, and desires to see you
for a moment?"
"Tell her I am grateful for her kind motives, but I wish to see no one
now."
"For your own sake, consider the--ah! here is my niece."
"I hope you need no verbal assurance of my deep sympathy, and my
constant prayers," said Leo, taking one passive hand between hers, and
pressing it warmly.
"Miss Gordon, I am comforted by your compassion, and by your unwavering
confidence in a stranger whom your townsmen hold up as a 'female
monster'. Because I so profoundly realize how good you are, I am
unwilling that you should identify yourself with my hopeless cause. My
sufferings will soon be over, and then I want no shadowy reflex cast
upon the smiling blue sky of your future. I have nothing more to lose,
save the burden of a life--that I shall be glad to lay down; but you--!
Be careful, do not jeopardize your beautiful dream of happiness."
"Why do you persist in rejecting the overtures of those who could
assist, who might successfully defend you? I beg of you, consent to
receive and confer with counsel, even to-night."
"You will never understand why I must not, till the earth gives up her
dead. You tremble, because only one more link can be added to the chain
that is coiling about my neck, and that link is the testimony of the
man whose name you expect to bear. Miss Gordon"--she stooped closer,
and whispered slowly: "Do not upbraid your lover; be tender, cling to
him; and afford me the consolation of knowing that the unfortunate
woman you befriended, and trusted, cast not even a fleeting shadow
between your heart and his. Pray for me, that I may be patient and
strong. God bless you."
Turning swiftly, she hurried on to the officer, who had courteously
withdrawn a few yards distant. As he opened the door of the wagon, he
handed her a loosely folded sheet of paper.
"I promised to deliver your answer as soon as possible."
By aid of the red glow, burning low in the western sky, she read:
"Mr. Dunbar requests that for her own sake, Miss Brentano will grant
him an interview this evening."
"My answer must necessarily be verbal. Say that I will see no one."
To the solitude and darkness of prison she fled for relief, as into
some merciful sheltering arms; and not even the loving solicitude of
Mrs. Singleton was permitted to penetrate her seclusion, or share her
dreary vigil. Another sleepless night dragged its leaden hours to meet
the dawn, bringing no rest to the desolate soul, who silently grappled
with fate, while every womanly instinct shuddered at the loathsome
degradation forced upon her. Face downward on her hard, narrow cot, she
recalled the terrible accusations, the opprobrious epithets, and
tearless, convulsive sobs of passionate protest shook her from head to
foot.
Tortured with indignation and shame, at the insults heaped upon her,
yet sternly resolved to endure silently, these nights were veritable
stations along her Via Dolorosa; and fortified her for the daily
flagellation in front of the jury-box.
On Thursday a slow, sleeting rain enveloped the world in a gray cowl,
bristling with ice needles; yet when Judge Parkman took his seat at
nine o'clock, there was a perceptible increase in the living mass,
packed in every available inch of space.
For the first time, Mr. Dunbar's seat between his colleagues was
vacant; and Mr. Churchill and Mr. Wolverton were conversing in an
animated whisper.
Clad in mourning garments, and with a long crape veil put back from her
face, the prisoner was escorted to her accustomed place; and braced by
a supreme effort for the critical hour, which she felt assured was at
hand, her pale set features gleamed like those of a marble statue
shrouded in black.
Called to the stand, Simon Frisby testified that "he was telegraph
operator, and night train despatcher for railway in X--. On October the
twenty-sixth, had just gone on duty at 8 P.M. at the station, when
prisoner came in, and sent a telegram to New York. A copy of that
message had been surrendered to the District Solicitor. Witness had
remained all night in his office, which adjoined the ladies'
waiting-room, and his attention having been attracted by the unusual
fact that it was left open and lighted, he had twice gone to the door
and looked in, but saw no one. Thought the last inspection was about
two o'clock, immediately after he had sent a message to the conductor
on train No. 4. Saw prisoner when she came in, a half hour later, and
heard the conversation between her and Burk, the station agent. Was
very positive prisoner could not have been in the ladies' waiting-room
during the severe storm."
Mr. Churchill read aloud the telegram addressed to Mrs. Ignace
Brentano: "Complete success required delay. All will be satisfactory.
Expect me Saturday. B. B."
He commented on its ambiguous phraseology, sent the message to the jury
for inspection, and resumed his chair.
"Lennox Dunbar."
Sister Serena's knitting fell from her fingers; Dyce groaned audibly,
and Judge Dent, sitting quite near, uttered a heavy sigh. The statue
throbbed into life, drew herself proudly up; and with a haughty poise
of the head, her grand eloquent gray eyes looked up at the witness, and
for the first time during the trial bore a challenge. For fully a
moment, eye met eye, soul looked into soul, with only a few feet of
space dividing prisoner from witness; and as the girl scanned the dark,
resolute, sternly chiselled face, cold, yet handsome as some faultless
bronze god, a singular smile unbent her frozen lips, and Judge Dent and
Sister Serena wondered what the scarcely audible ejaculation meant:
"At the mercy of Tiberius!"
No faintest reflection of the fierce pain at his heart could have been
discerned on that non-committal countenance; and as he turned to the
jury, his swart magnetic face appeared cruelly hard, sinister.
"I first saw the prisoner at 'Elm Bluff', on the afternoon previous to
Gen'l Darrington's death. When I came out of the house, she was sitting
bareheaded on the front steps, fanning herself with her hat, and while
I was untying my horse, she followed Bedney into the library. The
blinds were open and I saw her pass the window, walking in the
direction of the bedroom."
Mr. Churchill: "At that time did you suspect her relationship to your
client, Gen'l Darrington?"
"I did not."
"What was the impression left upon your mind?"
"That she was a distinguished stranger, upon some important errand."
"She excited your suspicions at once?"
"Nothing had occurred to justify suspicion. My curiosity was aroused.
Several hours later I was again at 'Elm Bluff' on legal business, and
found Gen'l Darrington much disturbed in consequence of an interview
with the prisoner, who, he informed me, was the child of his daughter,
whom he had many years previous disowned and disinherited. In referring
to this interview, his words were: 'I was harsh to the girl, so harsh
that she turned upon me, savage as a strong cub defending a crippled,
helpless dam. Mother and daughter know now that the last card has been
played; for I gave the girl distinctly to understand, that at my death
Prince would inherit every iota of my estate, and that my will had been
carefully written in order to cut them off without a cent.'"
"You were led to infer that Gen'l Darrington had refused her
application for money?"
"There was no mention of an application for money, hence I inferred
nothing."
"During that conversation, the last which Gen'l Darrington held on
earth, did he not tell you he was oppressed by an awful presentiment
connected with his granddaughter?"
"His words were: 'Somehow I am unable to get rid of the strange,
disagreeable presentiment that girl let behind her as a farewell
legacy. She stood there at the glass door, and raised her hand: 'Gen'l
Darrington, when you lie down to die, may God have more mercy on your
poor soul, than you have shown to your suffering child.'
"I advised him to sleep off the disagreeable train of thought, and as I
bade him good night, his last words were:
"'I shall write to Prince to come home.'"
"What do you know concerning the contents of your client's will?"
"The original will was drawn up by my father in 187-, but last May,
Gen'l Darrington required me to re-write it, as he wished to increase
the amount of a bequest to a certain charitable institution. The
provisions of the will were, that with the exception of various
specified legacies, his entire estate, real and personal, should be
given to his stepson Prince; and it was carefully worded, with the
avowed intention of barring all claims that might be presented by
Ellice Brentano or her heirs."
"Do you recollect any allusion to jewelry?"
"One clause of the will set aside a case of sapphire stones, with the
direction that whenever Prince Darrington married, they should be worn
by the lady as a bridal present from him."
"Would you not deem it highly incompatible with all you know of the
Gen'l's relentless character, that said sapphires and money should have
been given to the prisoner?"
"My surmises would be irrelevant and valueless to the Court; and facts,
indisputable facts, are all that should be required of witnesses."
"When and where did you next see the prisoner?"
Cold, crisp, carefully accentuated, his words fell like lead upon the
ears of all present, whose sympathies were enlisted for the desolate
woman; and as he stood, tall, graceful, with one hand thrust within his
vest, the other resting easily on the back of the bench near him, his
clear cut face so suggestive of metallic medallions, gave no more hint
of the smouldering flame at his heart than the glittering ice crown of
Eiriksjokull betrays the fierce lava tides beating beneath its frozen
crust.
"At 10 o'clock on the same night, I saw the prisoner on the road
leading from town to 'Elm Bluff', and not farther than half a mile from
the cedar bridge spanning the 'branch', at the foot of the hill where
the iron gate stands."
"She was then going in the direction of 'Elm Bluff?'"
"She was sitting on the ground, with her head leaning against a pine
tree, but she rose as I approached."
"As it was at night, is there a possibility of your having mistaken
some one else for the prisoner?"
"None whatever. She wore no hat, and the moon shone full on her face."
"Did you not question her about her presence there, at such an hour?"
"I asked: 'Madam, you seem a stranger; have you lost your way?' She
answered, 'No, sir.' I added: 'Pardon me, but having seen you at "Elm
Bluff" this afternoon, I thought it possible you had missed the road.'
She made no reply, and I rode on to town."
"She betrayed so much trepidation and embarrassment, that your
suspicion was at once aroused?"
"She evinced neither trepidation nor embarrassment. Her manner was
haughty and repellent, as though designed to rebuke impertinence. Next
morning, when informed of the peculiar circumstances attending Gen'l
Darrington's death, I felt it incumbent upon me to communicate to the
magistrate the facts which I have just narrated."
"An overwhelming conviction of the prisoner's guilt impelled you to
demand her arrest?"
"Overwhelming conviction rarely results from merely circumstantial
evidence, but a combination of accusing circumstances certainly pointed
to the prisoner; and following their guidance, I am responsible for her
arrest and detention for trial. To the scrutiny of the Court I have
submitted every fact that influenced my action, and the estimate of
their value decided by the jurymen, must either confirm the cogency of
my reasoning, or condemn my rash fallibility. Having under oath
conscientiously given all the evidence in my possession, that the
prosecution would accept or desire, I now respectfully request, that
unless the prisoner chooses to exercise her right of cross-examination,
my colleagues of the prosecution, and his Honor, will grant me a final
discharge as witness."
Turning toward Beryl, Judge Parkman said:
"It is my duty again to remind you, that the cross-examination of
witnesses is one of the most important methods of defence; as thereby
inaccuracies of statement regarding time, place, etc., are often
detected in criminal prosecutions, which otherwise might remain
undiscovered. To this invaluable privilege of every defendant, I call
your attention once more. Will you cross-question the witness on the
stand?"
Involuntarily her eyes sought those of the witness, and despite his
locked and guarded face, she read there an intimation that vaguely
disquieted her. She knew that the battle with him must yet be fought.
"I waive the right."
"Then, with the consent of the prosecuting counsel, witness is
discharged, subject to recall should the necessities of rebuttal demand
it."
"By agreement with my colleagues, I ask for final discharge, subject to
your Honor's approval."
"If in accordance with their wishes, the request is granted."
The clock on the turret struck one, the hour of adjournment, and ere
recess was declared, Mr. Churchill rose.
"Having now proved by trustworthy and unquestioned witnesses, a dark
array of facts, which no amount of additional testimony could either
strengthen, or controvert, the prosecution here rest their case before
the jury for inspection; and feeling assured that only one conclusion
can result, will call no other witness, unless required in rebuttal."
Desiring to be alone, Beryl had shut out even Sister Serena, and as the
officer locked her into a dark antechamber, adjoining the court-room,
she began to pace the floor. One tall, narrow window, dim with inside
dust, showed her through filmy cobwebs the gray veil of rain falling
ceaselessly outside, darkening the day that seemed a fit type of her
sombre-hued life, drawing swiftly to its close, with no hope of rift in
the clouds, no possibility of sunset glow even to stain its grave. Oh!
to be hidden safely in mother earth--away from the gaping crowd that
thirsted for her blood!--at rest in darkness and in silence; with the
maddening stings of outraged innocence and womanly delicacy stilled
forever. Oh! the coveted peace of lying under the sod, with only
nodding daisies, whispering grasses, crystal chimes of vernal rain,
solemn fugue of wintry winds between her tired, aching eyes and the
fair, eternal heavens! Harrowing days and sleepless, horror-haunted
nights, invincible sappers and miners, had robbed her of strength; and
the uncontrollable shivering that now and then seized her, warned her
that her nerves were in revolt against the unnatural strain. The end
was not far distant, she must endure a little longer; but that last
battle with Mr. Dunbar? On what ground, with what weapons would he
force her to fight? Kneeling in front of a wooden bench that lined one
side of the room, she laid her head on the seat, covered her face with
her hands, and prayed for guidance, for divine help in her hour of
supreme desolation.
"God of the helpless, succor me in my need. Forbid that through
weakness the sacrifice should be incomplete. Lead, sustain, fortify me
with patience, that I may ransom the soul I have promised to save."
After a time, when she resumed her walk, a strange expedient presented
itself. If she sent for Mr. Dunbar, exacted an oath of secrecy, and
confided the truth to his keeping, would it avail to protect her
secret; would it silence him? Could she stoop so low as to throw
herself upon his mercy? Therein lay the nauseous lees of her cup of
humiliation; yet if she drained this last black drop, would any pledge
have power to seal his lips, when he saw that she must die?
The deputy sheriff unlocked the door, and she mechanically followed him.
"I wish you would drink this glass of wine. You look so exhausted, and
the air in yonder is so close, it is enough to stifle a mole. This will
help to brace you up."
"Thank you very much, but I could not take it. I can bear my wrongs
even to the end, and that must be very near."
As he ushered her into the court-room, Judge Dent met her, took her
hand, and led her to the seat where Dyce and Sister Serena awaited her
return.
"My poor child, be courageous now; and remember that you have some
friends here, who are praying God to help and deliver you."
"Did He deliver His own Son from the pangs of death? Pray, that I may
be patient to endure."
One swift glance, showed her that Mr. Dunbar, forsaking his former
place beside the district attorney, was sitting very near, just in
front of her. The jurymen filed slowly into their accustomed seats, and
the judge, who had been resting his head on his hand, straightened
himself, and put aside a book. There was an ominous hush pervading the
dense crowd, and in that moment of silent expectancy, Beryl shut her
eyes and communed with her God. Some mystical exaltation of soul
removed her from the realm of nervous dread; and a peace, that this
world neither gives nor takes away, settled upon her. Sister Serena
untied and took off the crape veil and bonnet, and as she resumed her
seat, Judge Parkman turned to the prisoner.
"In assuming the responsibility of your own defence you have adopted a
line of policy which, however satisfactory to yourself, must, in the
opinion of the public, have a tendency to invest your cause with
peculiar peril; therefore I impress upon you the fact, that while the
law holds you innocent, until twelve men agree that the evidence proves
you guilty, the time has arrived when your cause depends upon your
power to refute the charges, and disprove the alleged facts arrayed
against you. The discovery and elucidation of Truth, is the supreme aim
of a court of justice, and to its faithful ministers the defence of
innocence is even more imperative than the conviction of guilt. The law
is a Gibraltar, fortified and armed by the consummate wisdom of
successive civilizations, as an impregnable refuge for innocence; and
here, within its protecting bulwarks, as in the house of a friend, you
are called on to plead your defence. You have heard the charges of the
prosecution; listened to the testimony of the witnesses; and having
taken your cause into your own hands, you must now stand up and defend
it."
She rose and walked a few steps closer to the jury, and for the first
time during the trial, looked at them steadily. White as a statue of
Purity, she stood for a moment, with her wealth of shining auburn hair
coiled low on her shapely head, and waving in soft outlines around her
broad full brow. Unnaturally calm, and wonderfully beautiful in that
sublime surrender, which like a halo illumines the myth of Antigone, it
was not strange that every heart thrilled, when upon the strained ears
of the multitude fell the clear, sweet, indescribably mournful voice.
"When a magnolia blossom or a white camellia just fully open, is
snatched by violent hands, bruised, crushed, blackened, scarred by
rents, is it worth keeping? No power can undo the ruin, and since all
that made it lovely--its stainless purity--is irrevocably destroyed,
why preserve it? Such a pitiable wreck you have made of the young life
I am bidden to stand up and defend. Have you left me anything to live
for? Dragged by constables before prejudiced strangers, accused of
awful crimes, denounced as a female monster, herded with convicts, can
you imagine any reason why I should struggle to prolong a disgraced,
hopelessly ruined existence? My shrivelled, mutilated life is in your
hands, and if you decide to crush it quickly, you will save me much
suffering; as when having, perhaps unintentionally, mangled some
harmless insect, you mercifully turn back, grind it under your heel,
and end its torture. My life is too wretched now to induce me to defend
it, but there is something I hold far dearer, my reputation as an
honorable Christian woman; something I deem most sacred of all--the
unsullied purity of the name my father and mother bore. Because I am
innocent of every charge made against me, I owe it to my dead, to lift
their honored name out of the mire. I have pondered the testimony; and
the awful mass of circumstances that have combined to accuse me, seems
indeed so overwhelming, that as each witness came forward, I have asked
myself, am I the victim of some baleful destiny, placed in the grooves
of destroying fate-foreordained from the foundations of the world to
bear the burden of another's guilt? You have been told that I killed
Gen'l Darrington, and stole his money and jewels, and destroyed his
will, in order to possess his estate. Trustworthy witnesses have sworn
to facts, which I cannot deny, and you believe these facts; and yet,
while the snare tightens around my feet, and I believe you intend to
condemn me, I stand here, and look you in the face--as one day we
thirteen will surely stand at the final judgment--and in the name of
the God I love, and fear, and trust, I call you each to witness, that I
am innocent of every charge in the indictment. My hands are as
unstained, my soul is as unsullied by theft or bloodshed, as your
sinless babes cooing in their cradles.
"If you can clear your minds of the foul tenants thrust into them, try
for a little while to forget all the monstrous crimes you have heard
ascribed to me, and as you love your mothers, wives, daughters, go back
with me, leaving prejudice behind, and listen dispassionately to my
most melancholy story. The river of death rolls so close to my weary
feet, that I speak as one on the brink of eternity; and as I hope to
meet my God in peace, I shall tell you the truth. Sometimes it almost
shakes our faith in God's justice, when we suffer terrible
consequences, solely because we did our duty; and it seems to me
bitterly hard, inscrutable, that all my misfortunes should have come
upon me thick and fast, simply because I obeyed my mother. You,
fathers, say to your children, 'Do this for my sake,' and lovingly they
spring to accomplish your wishes; and when they are devoured by agony,
and smothered by disgrace, can you sufficiently pity them, blind
artificers of their own ruin?
"Four months ago I was a very poor girl, but proud and happy, because
by my own work I could support my mother and myself. Her health failed
rapidly, and life hung upon an operation and certain careful subsequent
treatment, which it required one hundred dollars to secure. I was
competing for a prize that would lift us above want, but time pressed;
the doctor urged prompt action, and my mother desired me to come South,
see her father, deliver a letter and beg assistance. As long as
possible, I resisted her entreaties, because I shrank from the
degradation of coming as a beggar to the man who, I knew, had
disinherited and disowned his daughter.
"Finally, strangling my rebellious reluctance, I accepted the bitter
task. My mother kissed me good-bye, laid her hands on my head and
blessed me for acceding to her wishes; and so--following the finger of
Duty--I came here to be trampled, mangled, destroyed. When I arrived, I
found I could catch a train going north at 7.15, and I bought a return
ticket, and told the agent I intended to take that train. I walked to
'Elm Bluff,' and after waiting a few moments was admitted to Gen'l
Darrington's presence. The letter which I delivered was an appeal for
one hundred dollars, and it was received with an outburst of wrath, a
flood of fierce and bitter denunciation of my parents. The interview
was indescribably painful, but toward its close, Gen'l Darrington
relented. He opened his safe or vault, and took out a square tin box.
Placing it on the table, he removed some papers, and counted down into
my hand, five gold coins--twenty dollars each. When I turned to leave
him, he called me back, gave me the morocco case, and stated that the
sapphires were very costly, and could be sold for a large amount. He
added, with great bitterness, that he gave them, simply because they
were painful souvenirs of a past, which he was trying to forget; and
that he had intended them as a bridal gift to his son Prince's wife;
but as they had been bought by my mother's mother as a present for her
only child, he would send them to their original destination, for the
sake of his first wife, Helena.
"I left the room by the veranda door, because he bade me do so, to
avoid what he termed 'the prying of servants.' I broke some clusters of
chrysanthemums blooming in the rose garden, to carry to my mother, and
then I hurried away. If the wages of disobedience be death, then fate
reversed the mandate, and obedience exacts my life as a forfeit. Think
of it: I had ample time to reach the station before seven o'clock, and
if I had gone straight on, all would have been well. I should have
taken the 7.15 train, and left forever this horrible place. If I had
not loitered, I should have seen once more my mother's face, have
escaped shame, despair, ruin--oh! the blessedness of what 'might have
been!'
"Listen, my twelve judges, and pity the child who obeyed at all
hazards. Poor though I was, I bought a small bouquet for my sick mother
the day that I left her, and the last thing she did was to arrange the
flowers, tie them with a wisp of faded blue ribbon, and putting them in
my hand, she desired me to be sure to stop at the cemetery, find her
mother's grave in the Darrington lot, and lay the bunch of blossoms for
her upon her mother's monument. Mother's last words were: 'Don't forget
to kneel down and pray for me, at mother's grave.'"
The voice so clear, so steady hitherto, quivered, ceased; and the heavy
lashes drooped to hide the tears that gathered; but it was only for a
few seconds, and she resumed in the same cold, distinct tone:
"So I went on, and fate tied the last millstone around my neck. After
some search I found the place, and left the bunch of flowers with a few
of the chrysanthemums; then I hastened toward town, and reached the
station too late; the 7.15 train had gone. Too late!--only a half hour
lost, but it carried down everything that this world held for me. I
used to wonder and puzzle over that passage in the Bible, 'The stars in
their courses fought against Sisera!' I have solved that mystery, for
the stars in their courses' have fought against me; heaven, earth, man,
time, circumstances, coincidences, all spun the web that snared my
innocent feet. When I paid for the telegram to relieve my mother's
suspense, I had not sufficient money (without using the gold) to enable
me to incur hotel bills; and I asked permission to remain in the
waiting-room until the next train, which was due at 3.05. The room was
so close and warm I walked out, and the fresh air tempted me to remain.
The moon was up, full and bright, and knowing no other street, I
unconsciously followed the one I had taken in the afternoon. Very soon
I reached the point near the old church where the road crosses, and I
turned into it, thinking that I would enjoy one more breath of the pine
forest, which was so new to me. It was so oppressively hot I sat down
on the pine straw, and fanned myself with my hat. How long I remained
there, I know not, for I fell asleep; and when I awoke, Mr. Dunbar rode
up and asked if I had lost my way. I answered that I had not, and as
soon as he galloped on, I walked back as rapidly as possible, somewhat
frightened at the loneliness of my position. Already clouds were
gathering, and I had been in the waiting-room, I think about an hour,
when the storm broke in its fury. I had seen the telegraph operator
sitting in his office, but he seemed asleep, with his head resting on
the table; and during the storm I sat on the floor, in one corner of
the waiting-room, and laid my head on a chair. At last, when the
tempest ended, I went to sleep. During that sleep, I dreamed of my old
home in Italy, of some of my dead, of my father--of gathering grapes
with one I dearly loved--and suddenly some noise made me spring to my
feet. I heard voices talking, and in my feverish dreamy state, there
seemed a resemblance to one I knew. Only half awake, I ran out on the
pavement. Whether I dreamed the whole, I cannot tell; but the
conversation seemed strangely distinct; and I can never forget the
words, be they real, or imaginary: "'There ain't no train till
daylight, 'cepting it be the through freight.'
"Then a different voice asked: 'When it that due?'"
"'Pretty soon I reckon, it's mighty nigh time now, but it don't stop
here; it goes on to the water tank, where it blows for the bridge.'"
'"How far is the bridge?'"
"'Only a short piece down the track, after you pass the tank.'"
"When I reached the street, I saw no one but the figure of an old man,
I think a negro, who was walking away. He limped and carried a bundle
on the end of a stick thrown over his shoulder. I was so startled and
impressed by the fancied sound of a voice once familiar to me, that I
walked on down the track, but could see no one. Soon the 'freight' came
along; I stood aside until it passed, then returned to the station, and
found the agent standing in the door. When he questioned me about my
movements; I deemed him impertinent; but having nothing to conceal,
stated the facts I have just recapitulated. You have been told that I
intentionally missed the train; that when seen at 10 P.M. in the pine
woods, I was stealing back to my mother's old home; that I entered at
midnight the bedroom where her father slept, stupefied him with
chloroform, broke open his vault, robbed it of money, jewels and will;
and that when Gen'l Darrington awoke and attempted to rescue his
property, I deliberately killed him. You are asked to believe that I am
'the incarnate fiend' who planned and committed that horrible crime,
and, alas for me! every circumstance seems like a bloodhound to bay me.
My handkerchief was found, tainted with chloroform. It was my
handkerchief; but how it came there, on Gen'l Darrington's bed, only
God witnessed. I saw among the papers taken from the tin box and laid
on the table, a large envelope marked in red ink, 'Last Will and
Testament of Robert Luke Darrington'; but I never saw it afterward. I
was never in that room but once; and the last and only time I ever saw
General Darrington was when I passed out of the glass door, and left
him standing in the middle of the room, with the tin box in his hand.
"I can call no witnesses; for it is one of the terrible fatalities of
my situation that I stand alone, with none to corroborate my
assertions. Strange, inexplicable coincidences drag me down; not the
malice of men, but the throttling grasp of circumstances. I am the
victim of some diabolical fate, which only innocent blood will appease;
but though I am slaughtered for crimes I did not commit, I know, oh! I
know, that BEHIND FATE, STANDS GOD!--the just and eternal God, whom I
trust, even in this my hour of extremest peril. Alone in the world,
orphaned, reviled, wrecked for all time, without a ray of hope, I,
Beryl Brentano, deny every accusation brought against me in this cruel
arraignment; and I call my only witness, the righteous God above us, to
hear my solemn asseveration: I am innocent of this crime; and when you
judicially murder me in the name of Justice, your hands will be dyed in
blood that an avenging God will one day require of you. Appearances,
circumstances, coincidences of time and place, each, all, conspire to
hunt me into a convict's grave; but remember, my twelve judges,
remember that a hopeless, forsaken, broken-hearted woman, expecting to
die at your hands, stood before you, and pleaded first and last--Not
Guilty! Not Guilty!--"
A moment she paused, then raised her arms toward heaven and added, with
a sudden exultant ring in her thrilling voice, and a strange rapt
splendor in her uplifted eyes:
"Innocent! Innocent! Thou God knowest! Innocent of this sin, as the
angels that see Thy face."